1. Field of the Invention
This invention involves a veneer straightener, and, more particularly, a veneer straightening apparatus operating in conjunction with moving conveyor belts to straighten skewed veneer as it approaches a dry veneer stacker.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In forming plywood, veneer in the form of thin sheets of wood, usually either 27-inches or 54-inches wide by 8-, 9-, or 10-feet long, is used. Green veneer is dried in a veneer dryer. In coming out of the veneer dryer, the sheets of veneer normally travel along a conveyor belt to a veneer stacker where the sheets are stacked in a number of stacking bins according to their quality or grade.
As the dried veneer sheets progress along the conveyor belt from the dryer, it is common that they lie cross-wise on the moving conveyor at various angles. However, to create neat, uniform stacks of dry veneer, the skewed veneer sheets must be aligned or straightened before they enter the veneer stacker. It is difficult, if not impossible, to straighten the veneer sheets on the swiftly moving (e.g., 500-feet per minute) conveyor systems commonly utilized without either significantly reducing the efficiency of the stacking operation or accepting ragged, uneven stacks of dry veneer.
What is needed is a means of straightening skewed sheets of dry veneer prior to their entry into the veneer stacker, without significantly reducing the feed rate or efficiency of the stacking operation.